The Dordt Defenders battled past a top-five opponent on Friday night, outlasting No. 5-ranked Missouri Valley in a five-set thriller (24-26, 25-23, 25-19, 17-25, 15-10) in Sioux Center. Dordt improved to 19-7 overall and 9-2 in GPAC play with the win. Dordt is now 9-5 in league play and 19-7 overall while Missouri Valley moves to 9-3 in the Heart of America Conference and 15-3 overall.   Dordt will face Culver Stockton on Saturday at 2pm.

Box Score (PDF)

Missouri Valley controlled much of the opening set, using an early 4-1 run and later stretching the lead to 10-7 and 15-14. Dordt answered with a mid-set surge, taking a 17-15 lead on a 6-1 run fueled by kills from Cade Schmidt and Lance Vermeer. The set tightened late with ties at 20-20, 21-21 and 24-24 before Missouri Valley scored the final two points to take the opener 26-24.

Dordt flipped momentum early in set two. Trailing 3-1, the Defenders used a 5-0 run to grab a 6-3 advantage and later pushed the lead to 9-6. Missouri Valley responded to tie the set multiple times, including 14-14 and 22-22, but Dordt closed strong with a 3-1 run, capped by a block and attack error forced at set point for a 25-23 win.

Set three saw Dordt's most decisive stretch of the match. After falling behind 11-9, the Defenders ripped off a 4-0 run highlighted by three consecutive service aces from Joel Van Groningen to seize a 13-11 lead. Dordt extended that margin to 20-17 and finished the set on a 5-2 run to win 25-19 and take a 2-1 match lead.

Missouri Valley answered emphatically in set four, turning a 5-5 tie into a 7-5 edge and steadily building separation. A 6-1 run pushed the Vikings' lead to 18-12, and Dordt was unable to recover as Missouri Valley forced a fifth set with a 25-17 win.

In the decisive set, Dordt again showed resilience. After an early 3-3 tie, the Defenders surged with a 5-1 run to go ahead 8-4 behind multiple kills from Cade Schmidt. Missouri Valley trimmed the lead to 9-8, but Dordt responded with a match-defining 6-2 run, closing it out at 15-10 with strong play at the net and efficient attacking.

Team Stats Comparison

• Kills: Dordt 65 / Missouri Valley 58
• Errors: Dordt 23 / Missouri Valley 23
• Hitting Percentage: Dordt .286 / Missouri Valley .248
• Assists: Dordt 60 / Missouri Valley 55
• Service Aces: Dordt 4 / Missouri Valley 5
• Digs: Dordt 48 / Missouri Valley 41
• Blocks: Dordt 19 / Missouri Valley 26

Dordt Individual Leaders

• Kills: Cade Schmidt 21, Joel Van Groningen 18
• Hitting Percentage: Kai Chapman .500
• Assists: Joseph Jang 31, Justin Hofman 21
• Digs: Colt Schmidt 18
• Blocks: Kai Chapman 6, Lance Vermeer 5

 
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